Should I get my parakeet a friend?

Question
Hi, I got my 12 wk old parakeet about 2 weeks ago. We've been giving him lots of attention and love. He was letting us take him out of the cage but now runs from us, won't come out of his cage, & we don't know why. Today I played him parakeet sounds from the net & he started chirping a lot. That was cute but then he flew at the cage walls a couple times like he'd lost his mind, crashed and fell down. It was like he was out of control with the desire for other birds. Do you think he's lonely for other budgies? Should I get him a friend? If I do, will he still bond to me? Thanks much. Krisi  

Answer
Hi, Krisi.  Thanks for posting your questions.

Sounds to me from your description that your keet has been frightened by something or someone.  Do you have other pets in the household or young children that could have frightened him to the point where he is afraid to come out of his cage?  Try and think back to the last few times he was out of his cage and what happened around him.  He could have also been frightened by something going on outside his cage while he was on the inside on his cage.  You have to think like a bird when doing this, as something that you might not think would be scary could be something that could terrify your new bird.  If he's housed by an outside window, it could also be something he saw outside.  

When a bird flies uncontrollably inside of its cage like you describe, it's usually because of something that has scared it.  Did you place the PC speaker(s) close to your keets cage....he has no idea what speakers are!  Your excitement over his reaction to the bird sounds could have also scared the keet.  Perhaps the sounds he heard from the internet meant something to him.  

Sure he's lonely for other birds...it's only natural...birds prefer other birds to humans.  However, single birds in a home make the best pets.  If you want a pet bird, YOU should take the place of another bird in his life, i.e., you are his (human) mate, a member of his flock.  If you introduce another bird, they will most likely bond to each other.  Whether the keet you have will still be your friend if you buy another keet depends on the bird's individual personality, but most likely he will bond with the other bird.  I've had some keets remain friendly with me after pairing them up with mates, but usually they end up devoting all their time to their bird mates.

I have a website that may provide you with additional information/assistance if you'd like to visit:
http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo.index.html

If would need more details in order to help you out more with what is going on with your keet.

Chrys